GOTYS 2016 Lea GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hey everyone!!! Long time, no post. Have you heard the news? Toy Room, from YouTube, is hosting a giveaway for Girl of the Year 2016, Lea! Be sure to enter to have a chance at winning!!! Thank you Toy Room for hosting this giveaway! Also remember to check our Toy Room's other videos and subscribe, they're absolutely great! :)

Isabelle's Collection!

Hey guys! Happy new year!
On January 1, American Girl released the brand new Girl of the Year, Isabelle Palmer, at the extremely high price of $120 (excluding her accessories or ear piercing). This year, I've decided to continue the tradition of sharing my opinion on the the new GOTY and her collection!

Firstly, we have Isabelle, who is basically Lanie with straight hair. Although she's pretty, she isn't very original. But she comes with pink hair streaks, that's a first!

Grade: B-

Would I buy her: lolno

As for her clothes, American Girl is selling them as separates. Most pieces I wouldn't buy, but the idea of selling as separates is pretty smart. (I usually don't like the coordinates that AG makes, their doll outfits can be a bit too flashy when paired together.)
So here are my favorites of the separates:

This sweater is probably one of the only things I would wear in her collection.

Grade: A

Would I buy it? Yes.

It's a tutu, how could you not like it? It's so likeable! Sorry for the sucky quality.

Grade: A for cuteness! :D

Would I buy it? Probably not, but it looks so fluffy omg

And of course, with every Girl of the Year comes one huge, expensive (and sometimes unnecessary item). For Saige, it was the Hot Air Balloon, for McKenna, it was the loft bed, for Kanani, it was the Shave Ice Stand, and for Lanie, it was the trailer.

For Isabelle, it's a $275 sewing studio, that folds into an armoire with a mirror...

..which is actually really cool and looks maybe sort of worth it?

Grade: B

Would I buy it? Probss not but it looks nice ;)

So there you have it, my opinion and grades for everything in Isabelle's collection!

I hope you guys all have a wonderful year!

Notes + Christmas

Hello everyone!
So this post is one of the most important things I'll ever post on here, so please excuse the length! Hopefully this post won't be too dry and you can skip to the important parts and you won't get too bored! I'll try to add some fun stuff and surprises to make it a little more enjoyable also!

LET'S GET TO THE GOOD STUFF
So first off, this blog is yet again neglected (I seem to lack the ability to update every few weeks or so, mainly because school has recently started) but I get released from school early on Mondays so I will have extra time to write posts and film videos!
So I have an update video I have been wanting to post for ages however I have literally less than a GB left on my hard drive. iMovie takes up storage/RAM to post videos (is iMovie not the epitome of horrible?!) which I currently do not have enough space on my computer for. I am slowly transferring old pictures/videos/music onto a storage drive connected to the computer that has about a terabyte left of space.
In the meantime, I am not able to post any videos at all until that problem is taken care of. I have, however, been jotting ideas down for a CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!
Christmas is hands-down my most favorite thing about AGTube and just watching Christmas videos makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. The one I have been writing so far is about a girl and will be set in the 1930's in New York WHOOP FOR CLASSICS! It'll be greatly inspired by classic movies and Eloise at Christmastime, so I hope it'll turn out great! The plot is somewhat similar to Pink Christmas, a Christmas movie I made in 2011, in the sense that there is a little girl who wants to help everyone have a great Christmas, so it may be predictable.
Alsooo, I've been planning an AGMV! I've been planning to make said AGMV since last winter, however it was just so difficult and long story short, the video would not cooperate so that clip has been scrapped! Although I have a rather large amount of unpleasant experiences filming AGMVS, said song is love so I must make it!
Another thing is that I have 500 subscribers on my YouTube, which is just the most amazing thing ever. It feels great to know that there are 500 people who avidly watch my videos and care about the stuff that I take time to produce. YOU PEOPLE ARE MAGICAL I SWEAR!
Also, I was checking out my YouTube statistics and in the past month I got way more views/likes/comments than July so THAT IS CRAZY!
One last (irrelevant) thing is that I'm going to California Adventure (What? Me? Bragging!? Nonsense!) in December! I'm sososo excited to go, and I can't wait!
Here's to a great September for you all!

Skye xx

TWITTER!

Hello everyone! So if you are following my Twitter feed, then you may have seen a rather recent tweet of mine stating that I now have 70 FOLLOWERS GAHH!

AW MAN 70 FOLLOWERS :D so how about a contestttt? more info shall come later!
— skye (@girlyiscute) August 3, 2013

In celebration of that, I would like to have a Twitter contest! I'll be giving free follows! More information will come soon!
Thank you to everybody who followed and even remotely care about the random things I have to say!

Skye xx

UPDATES VIDEO

GUESS WHAT? I'M BACK WHUT WHUT.. Soon I'll be posting yet another update video with yet another generic name (ie "Updates") in which I explain to you that more videos will be coming out soon and that my friend and I added streaks to my dolls' hair in a nutshell. Sorry in advance for the briefness (and quite frankly horrid quality) of the video. Due to said briefness and horrid quality, I wasn't able to explain why I haven't been making videos so I might as well be posting why here as my comeback, right?
So the reason I haven't been posting is sheer business which sucks as you would think that I'd have an excuse better than business. However, I actually have been busy. I've been writing a story and potential series plot (more info on that later), making videos for my other channel (again, more info later), and simply just spending time with the fambam and my friends, as summer really is the perfect time to unwind and is surprisingly a bit more hectic than school in an indescribable way.
The video will be up soon, which shall give you a chance to see my dolls' brand new hair streaks (which if you are following my Flickr photostream, you will have already seen! Just sayin'.) and a promise of a special 500 subscriber video and quite possibly weekly videos. (Only perhaps as this is a very great commitment but I will try and it shall only be until the end of this summer.)
That is basically all EXCEPT WAHH my friends are at San Diego Comic Con as I'm speaking, or more rather typing right now which makes me extremely sad and jealous for obvious reasons, the most evident being that IT IS FLABBERWACKING COMICCON!! However, I believe I actually might go next year (okay, I most definitely skipped to conclusions, but my sister has been saying so, so why shouldn't I share?) and if so, I shall cosplay! Honestly, it's just convention after convention (Anime Expo, Vid Con, Comic Con – so many!) and I actually want to go very badly this time!
ALSO (this post just seems to drag on and on) I ordered something for my dolls from eBay (with the help of father dearest) which is something retired from American Girl. It's just a small little treat for my dolls and if you guess what it is (hint: retired historical outfit), I'll give you a virtual cookie. Also a shout-out in my next post!
I don't want to bore you any more than I have nor keep you waiting,so that is all for now!
Enjoy your summer!

PS if you are at comic con right now, then YOU LUCKY BUTT OF A DUCK! (:

xoxo, Skye

Ribbon-Tie Headband PREVIEW

Everyone loves ribbon-tie headbands. Okay, so maybe not everyone.
But who doesn't think these dollie headbands are adorable? A tutorial is coming soon! (There's a little secret tip I have to keep it on your doll's head *wink, wink*) I'll be posting the tutorial here today or tomorrow.

Sorry for the briefness!

xoxo, Skye.

Pictures

Hi everyone! Long time, no post! It's Skye, and today, I took Ellie out. Here's are a few pictures from the shoot! More pictures can be found on my YouTube later.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures!

Later! (:

Saige's Collection!

Happy New Year everyone!
And you know what that means -- new year, new Girl of the Year, as well! So here's my opinion on Saige's new line!
Heads up: American Girl raised their prices from $105 to $110 for dolls and from $24 to $28 for doll accessories.

So first we have Saige herself. I think she's super cute and I love her meet outfit (the ring is a nice touch). But even though I think her eyes are gorgeous, I feel like AG is trying to make an eye color for every shade of blue.

Similarities: JLY #23, Nicki, Felicity

Grade: A-

Now we have Saige's outfits!

Heads Up: None of her outfits are under USD $30, except for her pajamas.

1. Saige's Sparkle Dress ($30)  - This is a really pretty dress, and I hope to get it this year. I love the sparkly gold pattern and how the dress poofs out a lot. However, I'm not really fond of the boots.

Would I buy it? Yes.

Grade: B+

2. Saige's Parade Outfit ($34) - The way this outfit is styled on American Girl just doesn't look right for me. I think that if the sleeves of the shirt and the jeans were rolled up a bit, and the boots were changed to tennis shoes, this outfit would be perfect. (Thumbs up AG for not making flare jeans!)

Would I buy it? Maybe.

Similarites: Nicki's Tie Top (GOTY 2007)

Grade: B

3. Saige's Pajamas ($24) - This is a simple, little three-piece outfit (if you don't include the hairties you'll lose within five minutes of opening), yet it costs $24. I mean, the shorts are cute, yes, but if you're buying such a small outfit, you should like the whole thing.

Would I buy it? Probably not.

Similarities: Kanani's Pajamas (Slippers)

Grade: B-

4. Saige's Sweater Outfit ($34) - This outfit is probably one of the only things I'd wear from American Girl. I absolutely love the sweater and the leggings, and I think this outfit would be so much fun to mix and match!

Would I buy it? Yes, if I had the money.

Feeling Great Outfit (MAG, just the shirt)

Grade: A-

That concludes my review! The rest of my opinions on Saige's collection will be posted  later.

Bye! Happy New Year!

Hi everyone! It's Skye, and I have some good news.
I just wrapped up filming my Christmas stopmotion movie-ting. I spent four hours filming it, and am a bit disappointed that all the work put into it totaled up to only fourteen seconds.

UPCOMING VIDEOS WINTER 2012

Hey everyone! It's Skye, and here's a little list of my upcoming videos coming this winter. I'm not 100% sure I'm gonna go through with this, it's just a plan for now, but I decided to spend some extra time in second period working on this, and it seems like a pretty good diagram/schedule to go by. They're not in order, but this is still a rough draft.
I'm attempting to do most of these during this weekend and maybe cram the Christmas part of it into my Christmas vacation, but my break starts on December 21, which gives me barely enough time to finish. D: However, the rest seems fairly possible, so let's hope I can make it by then.

"The Nutcracker" - AG Style (Christmas Video #1)
I love "The Nutcracker" and I would love to do a retelling of it. I have a doll-sized nutcracker that I think is adorable and would love to use it as a prop! I also think I could incorporate cute, little dance sequence with Sugarplum fairies and mice and perhaps the Nutcracker and Maria. The problem is I may not have enough dolls to do this. D':

Costumes needed:
Maria's Outfit (X)
Mouse Outfit - ( )
Nutcracker Outfit - ( )
Sugarplum Fairy outfit - (X)

Christ-annukah! - (Original Storyline) American Girl Stopmotion (Christmas Video #2)
This is a little video I really want to make about a girl whose home alone for Christmas and her friend offers her to celebrate Hannukah with her family.

The Story of Hannuakh - American Girl Stopmotion (Christmas Video #3)
I think this would make a cute video. It doesn't have to be long or anything, and it would include some pretty awesome doll costumes.

Costumes Needed:
Rag Outfit ( )
Grecian Warrior Outfit - ( )

Eat That Up, It's Good for You - American Girl Music Video
I have horrible experiences with AGMVs but I love this song, so I must!

Things Directioners Say - American Girl Stopmotion
A fun, little video just because.

One Direction Fangirling - American Girl Stopmotion
Another fun treat for Directioners.

DIY: Doll Photography Tips!

Hi everyone! It's Olivia, and I'm going to give you a few tips, tricks, and pointers on taking pictures of your American Girl Dolls!

First, you want to make sure you're getting a source of natural light. You don't have to go outside, even an open window or door should work. Flash or indoor lighting isn't usually ever a good substitute for picture-taking.

Which leads us to tip three -- tery to avoid using flash. Flash will give you an unwanted overexposed look to your pictures, and as far as I'm concerned, this look is not what you're looking for.

Use a tripod while shooting! Tripods secure steadiness while shooting, and mine was only $15 on sale at WalMart. If you don't have a tripod, try using a stack of books or DVDs instead.

Try different angles. Face your model/object/whatever-you're-taking-a-picture-of/thing-y from different sides -- from the back, from the left, right, from below, and even a bird's eye view.

And lastly, make sure you know how to change the settings of your camera, such as the exposure and aperture. Program is a great setting to start on, but just in case you're looking for something else, it wouldn't hurt to know how to adjust settings manually to get the look you want.

Well that's all for now! Bye!

{xoxo livvster<3}

THE SCOOP ON GIRL OF THE YEAR 2013 -- FIRST ON BLOGGER

Hi everyone! So it's Skye again, and I thought I'd take the time to make a gigantic post about Girl of the Year 2013, and what we know so far. I believe I'm the first from Blogger to include all of this is one huge post, but perhaps, I'm wrong. I did get a lot from other sources, but some has been from my recent online ponderings. Well, enjoy anyway.

NAME - GOTY 2013's name will be Saige. Saige is a registered trademark by American Girl. However, on movie websites, many people refer to her as "Alberta".

APPEARANCE -

Here is a picture of Saige. She comes in a violet dress with a Bohemian-style belt and brown boots. Her hair comes in a ruffle-y braid, and she has the classic mold. Saige has feathered eyebrows (I think), blue eyes, and freckles.
The originality isn't sparkling or anything, and she reminds me of a schoolgirl-ified Nicki. I'm not sure whether I like her yet or not, but I do think her collection might be a nice addition to my doll wardrobe.

This is an early picture of Saige, from October.

source: doll diaries

From this picture, I can tell she has sort of an auburn/burnt-sienna hair that looks as if it were in a braid, a blue mid-sleeved shirt, a blue plaid skirt, a pair of brown cowboy boots (perhaps combat boots?), and a white/grey horse.

MOVIE - So it seems that Alberta will be having her very own movie. Here is the list of descriptions of the people will/have cast(ed):

 - A girl with a fair complexion (who may be named Alberta)
 - A girl from Latin America (who may be named Gayle)
 - A girl of all/any ethnicities (who may be named Dina)
 - A girl with blonde hair (who may be named Tasha)
source: agoverseasfan

It also seems Jane Seymour, the popular actress, has been casted and will be in Alberta's movie. Apparently, filming will start/has started in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and the director has been identified as Vince Marcello (McKenna Shoots for the Stars).
source: director's guild of canada

Here is a video of ten-year old Ruby Danielle auditioning for the role of Alberta. It gives away some of the lines and the situation.
The situation seems to be that Alberta needs money for something, but only has a short amount of time. (There is a more detailed description of the plot below.)

BOOKS/PLOT - Alberta will have two books, both by Jessie Haas and illustrated by Sarah Davis. Here are the plot summaries:

Meet Saige – American Girl of the Year 2013 – Book 1 by Jessie Haas and illustrator Sarah Davis - Upset that her New Mexico school can only afford music and art teachers in alternate years, fourth-grader Saige works with her grandmother, Mimi, to plan a fundraiser but when Mimi has an accident, Saige relies on new friend Gabi to help.
Saige Paints the Sky- American Girl of the Year 2013 – Book 2 by Jessie Haas and illustrator Sarah Davis - Painting in her grandmother’s studio and riding her favorite horse, Georgia, helps fourth-grader Saige cope with missing Mimi and sparks an idea for funding the school art program, but more creativity will be needed to keep Georgia from being sold.
source: library of congress

That's all for now!
Later, Skye.

Update! Again!

Hi everyone! It's Skye (of course), and I have an update for you guys. I probably won't be posting as much (which I've said so many times already, but this time I actually have a reason), which pretty much means I won't be able to fulfill my goal of posting weekly this schoolyear. I joined the journalism club at my school, and I'm part of writing the school newspaper.
But I will post as much as I can! Thank you guys, for understnading. Bye! (:

DIY: How to "Paint" Your Doll's Nails Without Nail Polish

Hey guys!
Here's a quickie tutorial on how to give your dolls a fabulous manicure without using nail polish or having to apply anything directly onto your doll's nails.

Here's how it'll turn out. I 'painted' Livvie's nails green and Ellie's grey.

You'll need mailing label stickers, a pair of scissors, and a marker.

The color of the marker you choose will be the color of your doll's nails.

First, you want to color over your sticky labels with your marker.

With your scissors, cut out a doll nail shape. It might be a bit hard at first, but after a few more tries and trims, you'll be a pro.

And here's how it turned out!

- Skye

20 FOLLOWERS!

Hello everyone! It's Skye and I have some AWESOME news!

I got twenty followers! Thank you so much everyone! I should be holding a contest soon! More info on that later. Thank you again! (:

Okay, also, I got a new button! :D

Keep Calm and..

Hi everyone! So since everyone's been making their own versions of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters, I decided to make some of my own too.
Feel free to use any of these as backgrounds or on your websites, but please link back or give me credit, thank you!

This one is for izzydog158:

I hope you guys like them! If you want me to make any custom ones, tell me. Thanks, bye!

~ Skye

DIY: Easy Skinny Jeans for Dolls!

Hi everyone! So today, I'm going to show you the skinny jeans I made for my doll.
PS Sorry about the pictures, I took them late. D:

I started off with a pair of flare jeans from Michaels, as part of the Springfield Doll collection. It cost $7, including a white tee.
First, I flipped the jeans over to the back. Then, I folded a part of the leg and sewed a button on top to secure the fold.

Here's a better picture. This is a comparison of how skinny the right leg is to how flare the other leg is.

I also sewed on a button for the waist.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I'm really proud of how my first leg turned out. I'll get back to you guys as soon as I finish the other leg.

I'm also thinking about posting a tutorial on how to sew a button, so watch out for that, too.

Good night.

-Skye

New Caroline Abbott Stuff! -- First on Blogger

Hello everyone! It's Skye here. You guys know Caroline Abbott, AG's latest historical.

Well I have some exciting news -- I found more pictures of Caroline and her collection! If you use any of the pictures, please link back! Thank you! :D

This is Caroline in her meet outfit and her first book, Meet Caroline.

I think this boat is adorable, but her outfit is too girly and pink. Nobody in that time era could afford clothes like that!

Here is the last picture: It's a room collection! I think it's adorable! Still not too sure about her outfit, but still a really cute (and probably expensive) room set!

What do you guys think?

- Skye

Contest?

Hello everyone! So I recently got 15 followers, which was my July goal, so I thought I might hold a contest in celebration! Here's where you guys can help. I'm not really sure what my contest would be though. I was thinking a photography contest.
I'm open to ideas, so please comment any other contest suggestions below, prize ideas (virtual prizes only, so sorry!),  and if you would enter! Thank you so much! <3

- Skye

CAROLINE ABBOTT REVEALED!

AG's latest Historical, Caroline Abbott, has been revealed! There's really nothing that catches my eye about her, so let's start off with the things I don't like about her.

 

She looks exactly like JLY #22 with Lanie's wig, and she has the same blond hair, blue eyes, light skin, original face mold combo. I mean, yes, she's adorable, but AG really needs to be more original.

More on the whole originality topic, look at this picture I dug up of Felicity in one of her retired dress. Anyone see a resemblance? I'm almost positive they used the same pattern, except with a few tweaks here and there.

Which one do you like better? Comment below!

I really don't think that her story will be as engaging as the other stories. As great as it is that AG is teaching girls about the War of 1812, it's not really as exciting as if they were to do another era, maybe like the '50s! I would absolutely love a '50's-era doll, wouldn't that be exciting?

And apparently, she's from New York, (but I honestly think the background makes her look like she's a character in The Wizard of Oz).

I don't know, I think AG needs to step it up, because I personally wouldn't buy her. What do you guys think?